


Someone has to do it

by Araene



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, No Romance, Not Serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 08:37:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Araene/pseuds/Araene
Summary: Matteo (OMC) just lost his job. So why is there an assassin standing in his room?





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a silly little story that wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it.
> 
> Enjoy!

Matteo only ever met one assassin, which to be honest is one more than most other people. And no matter how embarrassing he knew for sure that he would be telling this story to his future children and grandchildren until they would groan with annoyance each time he told it for they too would be able to tell the story word for word. 

……….

It was nearing midnight and Matteo still laid awake worrying about his future. He’d lost his job as a stable boy that day. He did have some savings and could bridge the gap but with his lack of education and a crippled knee from an old accident it wasn’t likely that he would easily or quickly find another job. He only had limited options and those became even more limited if anyone else applied for the same job. 

He’d been tossing and turning all evening and tried every trick he knew to fall asleep. Nothing worked. Hours later he was still wide awake and he doubted he’d get any sleep this night, probably making him too tired tomorrow to go looking for a new job. Matteo rolled over to his other side and observed the moonlit room. There wasn’t much in it and he knew the exact location of each and every object but still the moonlight made everything look different. The tree in front of his window casted shades, dancing around on his walls. Some might call those shapes creepy and he could understand why but to him their movements were soothing and he could feel himself relax just a tiny bit. Closing his eyes he hoped he’d be able to sleep now, but just as he did so he noticed through his closed eyelids that the room just darkened considerably for a second before it brightened again. It was too quick for it to have been a cloud and Matteo didn’t have money for decent blinds so they couldn’t have blown in front of the window.

Opening his eyes Matteo looked over to the window and froze. His heart skipped several beats as he could not comprehend what he was seeing. There was a man standing next to his window, if there had not been moonlight he’d have disappeared completely in the shadows. But how did he even enter? Matteo’s room was on the second floor and there was no ladder next to his window.

Looking more closely at the other man Matteo noticed the heavy robes, the protective armor and the confident way he held himself. It all easily betrayed his identity. An assassin.

He was hooded and with the window behind him his face was clouded in darkness and all Matteo could see was a small glittering where the man's eyes were. 

Matteo was still stunned, several moments had already passed and he quickly closed his mouth once he realized he was gaping. His mind went from complete silence to overdrive but he couldn't think of a reason why the other was right there in his room. He didn't seem hurt, so he must not be looking for aid. Nor could he hear any guards outside, so he wasn't hiding either.

So why was he here?

Matteo wasn't sure he was allowed to question the assassin. Slowly and careful to project his moves he sat up in his bed, pushing the sheets to the side. For the first time in his life he was actually glad that winter would soon arrive and that he was wearing sleeping clothes for once, or this could have been a lot more awkward.

The assassin hadn’t yet moved a muscle, but Matteo could feel that his every move was tracked. "May I be of some help, master assassin?" He dared to ask, keeping his voice low so there was no way anyone outside could overhear them. Just in case the assassin was actually hiding from someone.

He didn’t receive an answer but the assassin tilted his head just so as if Matteo was the most curious thing he'd seen all year. The young man fought to keep from blushing, but the heat trailing up his face told him he'd failed. He cast his eyes down and studied his hands. For several minutes he could feel the assassin appraising him. He felt judged and, more specifically, judged short. For what? Matteo didn't know, he still couldn't find a reason for why the other was even here, in his small bedroom with him. But he knew he couldn't just throw the man out. He had too much respect for the assassins in to do so. That and if the other so desired Matteo would already be dead due to a slit throat with no one any the wiser.

Matteo noticed the room getting a bit brighter and looked towards the window to see the assassin had gone. 'That was odd' he thought and he could feel himself relaxing, finding unwanted guests in your bedroom tended to make you tense up.

The young man turned back towards the rest of the room and almost jumped out of his skin to find the assassin right in front of him. How had he not noticed? The floorboards even creaked when a mouse tripled over it!

Matteo quickly pushed himself back further onto his bed so he sat with his back against the wall. "How?" He muttered more to himself than actually asking the man in front of him. 

He took a few minutes to regain his breath and after quite a few deep breaths he noticed something. "Are you laughing at me?" He demanded when he saw the assassin in front of him shaking slightly. 

Matteo felt himself flush again. But not with embarrassment this time but with anger. He still had no clue what was going on, the assassin had yet to say a word. But the man was laughing at him? Just what gave him the right to barge in here and make this night even more miserable?

"If I cannot help you then I wish you a goodnight." Matteo said and tried to lay down with his back turned towards the room. He tried to do so but found himself flat on his back while being squashed. The assassin had moved quicker than Matteo could follow and had moved from the floor up to sitting on Matteo’s chest, effectively pinning him down. 

'God, assassins weigh a lot' Matteo thought when he started to feel lightheaded. Surprisingly even with the assassin on top of him Matteo still wasn't truly afraid, even if he had to be careful with breathing he was more annoyed than anything else right now. He had not done anything wrong. There was no reason for the assassin to be here and still he was. Now that the other wasn't in the shadows or blocking out the light he could see the shape of the other's face. 

He was young, about Matteo's age if he had to guess. The smooth skin of the assassin's face only marred by the thin scar that ran over his lip. It didn't take away from his beauty, it added to it. Matteo was in awe. To be this young and so skilled in battle. He felt a rush of jealousy before he squished it down. He'd have jumped for the chance to become an assassin but he knew it couldn't be. He was crippled and there was just no way it would happen. The assassin on top of him had nothing to do with that.

The intricate design of the belt in front of him caught his attention next. He reached out to touch it and examine it from close when the assassin caught his hand and kept it down right next to his head.

The assassin was leaning over him now and with some of the weight off his chest and on his wrist Matteo found he could breathe freely again. And on top of that, he could now think clearly again too. With the other man so close Matteo was starting to feel nervous. The assassin was behaving weirdly and being trapped below the other was starting to make him feel skittish.

"May I be of some help, master assassin?" He repeated his earlier question, his voice meek and unsure. He could feel himself biting his lips and realized how much of an open book he must be to read.

The assassin smirked at him. "Yes you may" he answered smoothly but remained silent afterwards.

Matteo felt like banging his head on a hard surface. Why oh why did he have to deal with this? Couldn't he just say what he wanted from Matteo and leave quickly afterwards?

"What can I do for you?" He then asked straight out, hoping that it would help to skip all the evading the other was doing.

"Ah, now there's a question that will get us on our way." The smirk had changed into a soft smile and Matteo couldn't help but relax just a little. A smiling assassin couldn't be about to do any harm now, right? God, how he hoped not.

"We have noticed the quite public display of you being let go of your previous job. We find you have an honorable character and are offering you a job."

"A job?" Matteo could feel his heart speed up again. His eyes found the assassin’s face and looking in his eyes he could not find trace of a lie. It seemed the other was actually serious. He'd work for the assassins? But how?

The assassin didn't bother with a reply. He knew he'd been understood.

"What could I possibly do for you?" Matteo asked unsure, he didn't feel like he had anything useful to offer. He didn't have skills besides mucking out stables and he surely didn't qualify for anything intellectual.

"Here's the deal ....." 

……….

Matteo didn't understand what happened. Last he knew he had just finished up his morning round of the city and then there was darkness until he woke up here. 

Here meaning tied to an uncomfortable wooden chair in what looked to be a prison cell nursing a terrible headache. He must have been unconscious for a while for when he looked out of the window high above him he could see that the sun had already passed its peak. There were still a few hours of daylight left but most of the day had already passed. 

If he didn’t get out of here soon to start on his evening route he wouldn’t be able to get done by nightfall. The assassins are great employers, but Matteo didn’t think for even a second that they would never allow slacking off. If he couldn’t do the round he might just get fired … again. 

Thinking about losing his job made Matteo groan loudly. He liked this job. He got to be outside and in the city during the days. He only had to spend a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening working and he had the rest of his day free to do whatever he liked. And the assassins paid very well. He earned almost double now than what he earned at his previous job. And he didn't have to slave for it for hours on end, day after day. It was still hard work but even with his limp it was actually doable without overtaxing himself.

Matteo jumped when the door suddenly opened and a guard briskly walked inside. "You're awake then? Sure took your time didn't you?" He sneered before turning on his heels and walking right back out. The door closed with a loud thud causing Matteo to flinch from the sound and the guard marched off through the corridor. He must have gone to inform someone he’d woken up. Let’s hope he could get it all cleared up quickly so he could leave already.

Knowing that someone was probably on their way to his cell Matteo tried to escape anyway. Tugging at the ropes that bound him he couldn't feel any slack and he realized that the only way he’d get out of this before the guard returned was through seriously injuring himself. He couldn't do that. If he was injured then he couldn't do his job and then any escape would be pointless anyway.

The silence of the cell was unnerving. Matteo could hear himself thinking too loudly and each shift he made to get more comfortable sounded like elephants running through the room. He could do with a painkiller to silence the elephants stomping around in his head as well.

Sitting still and closing his eyes helped a little to get the pounding down. Thoughts other than ‘god my head hurts’ started showing up. 

Why was he even here anyway? He had just been doing his job, quietly and not bothering anyone. He hadn't stolen anything or annoyed any guards. So why? There was no way he was going to figure it out like this. He’d have to wait until someone here told him.

The guard stayed away longer than Matteo had expected. Steeling himself for a long wait he tried to relax. The chair and the binds were not helping at all. If he found a good position for his back then his arms would start smarting. If he moved some to the left then his right leg would fall asleep. Matteo sighed loudly when he realized there just was no relaxing on this chair. He just hoped they would be kind enough to untie him later, he’d be feeling this for days.

Looking through the window high up the wall to the sky he noted that about an hour must have passed now. It was about the time he'd have to start his evening round. He felt guilty not being able to do his job. What if one of the assassins got hurt? Would he still be able to keep his job? Would they kill him in revenge? When he got out of here he'd have to find one of them and beg for forgiveness. God, how was he even going to do that? They were like shadows, impossible to catch even for the army. How would he do it being crippled?

Wallowing in his misery he hadn't noticed the footsteps outside his cell. He jumped when the cell door was suddenly thrown open. Or he tried to jump anyway, the ropes binding him kept him quite securely tied to the chair and he could feel the ropes burn where he had struggled against them. Trying to calm his beating heart he took in deep breaths.

"My name is Sergeant Jacopo De Luca, and you will tell me what I want to know." The other man stated.

Matteo stared at the Sergeant looming over him. He blinked stupidly. Tell him what exactly? What did the guards think he knew that they didn't already?

"Uhm, okay" Matteo said once he'd gotten over the shock and noticed the sergeant glaring at him.

"You were arrested this morning based on your work for the assassins." The sergeant began.

Arrested? They called being knocked unconscious and then kidnapped arrested? Are they joking?

Playing it on safe he asked: "My work for the assassins?” 

"Yes, we received an anonymous tip that you work for them.” 

"Well yes but-"

"We trust our source so don't try to lie to me" The sergeant cut him off. "From what we can gather you've been working for them starting the day after you lost your job at the city stables about two months ago. Correct?"

"Yes but-" 

"No buts. You only need to answer my questions." Matteo got cut off again by the rather irritated sergeant in front of him.

"Yes sir" he agreed softly trying not to rile the man up.

"Who leads the assassins?"

"The Mentor?" Matteo more asked than said. Everyone knew this, right?

"His name boy! I need his name!" Sergeant De Luca leaned in closer.

"I don't know" Matteo answered honestly. And he didn't know, he was so low on the assassin hierarchy that besides that one meeting he’d never seen another assassin. He didn't even know that one's name.

"Where is their headquarters?" He was asked next.

"I don't know" he answered honestly again. 

It was obvious the sergeant was already losing his patience for he leaned in threateningly again. "You must know something boy!"

"Please sir, I know nothing" Matteo pleaded with him. Why couldn't the man just let him go?

"You have admitted to working for the assassins, there must be something you know." 

It went on like this for a while. The sergeant would ask questions that Matteo didn't have an answer to. He would repeat questions over and over again receiving the same answers. With each question he got more and more angry and after an hour his head was so red that Matteo was actually worried he'd get a stroke or something. 

Matteo glanced at the window from time to time and he could see the sun setting and night had fallen. He could feel himself giving up, he missed work. He'd be back on the streets soon looking for a job he could probably not get. 

"I've had enough of this!" The sergeant finally yelled and stormed outside. 

Not much later he re-entered the cell with another man of even higher rank. "I am Captain Piero Baldovinetti." 

The captain stood in front of him similarly as how the Sergeant had before. It was obvious he was trying to impress Matteo. But all the boy could think about was how he'd have to find a new job, how much he wanted to get out of there and that his ass had fallen asleep and it was uncomfortable because his legs and feet were now following the same path.

"You've quite riled up my Sergeant, note that I won't be as easy."

"I'm sorry sir, I have only answered his questions honestly, I don't know why he got so angry." Matteo tried to look innocent but wasn't sure if he'd succeeded when he heard the captain sigh. 

"Let us start again now, shall we." The captain smiled menacingly at him and Matteo could feel his heart sink. This was not a man to cross no matter how friendly he may look.

"When did you first meet the assassins?" he was asked. And immediately Matteo noticed the difference. The questions were more direct and he would have to be the one talking.

"Last autumn I lost my job at the city stables, one of them visited that night."

"What did you talk about?"

"They had heard I lost the job and offered me one in place."

"Why you?"

"I don't know sir. He said something about me having the qualities and character they were looking for. I was just glad I didn't have to go looking for another job."

"When did you see him next?"

"I haven't sir. That was the only time"

"Then how do they pay you?" The captain looked puzzled, as if he couldn't believe what Matteo was saying but couldn't catch him in a lie either.

"Each week they leave money on my bedside table during the night."

"You never see them?"

"No sir, I tried to stay up one night to see one, but they never came, they dropped of the money the day after during work. There was a note next to it telling me not to try it again. And I haven’t."

"Hmm" The captain looked at him curiously but didn't ask any more questions. The sergeant looked angry. Matteo wasn't worried. He couldn't betray the assassins because he honestly didn't know anything, and his own story was pretty boring.

"So what exactly do you do?"

"I uhm ... fluff the hay piles" Matteo blushed.

"you ... fluff the hay piles?" the captain repeated as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. 

"Yes sir." Matteo mumbled looking down. It was quite embarrassing really.

"Why do they need someone to do that?"

"They enjoy jumping down from buildings and land in them, if they're not fluffy they might get hurt."

"You fluff the hay piles" the captain says once more sounding as if he'd like to bang his head against the wall. The he turned around to the sergeant. "This was your important source? The one that would lead to the assassins? You imbecile!" Then he turned around and dragged the captain outside with him. 

Matteo could hear their footsteps fading away and couldn't stop the sigh of relief that left him. 

"Do you need someone rescuing you?" Matteo heard an amused voice above him. Squinting he could barely make out the shape of a man there crouching in the shadows on the ceiling beams. 

Matteo groaned of embarrassment, heat already flushing his cheeks. Just how long had the assassin been there? How much had he heard? "Just kill me now please" he mumbled to himself.

"Now why would I do that?" Matteo heard him ask from way too close and he opened his eyes to see the assassin's face only inches from his own. It was the same assassin that had visited him so many months ago.

"You did fine, you didn't tell them anything they didn't already know" The man in front of him smiled reassuringly before moving to cut the ropes and free him. 

"Of course I did not, sir, because I don't actually know anything. I don’t even know your name." Matteo rubbed his wrists, careful of the tender skin there.

"It's Ezio" the assassin told him before moving to open the door. Seeing that the coast was clear he turned around and motioned for Matteo to come with him. When he didn't he gently closed the door again and crouched in front of Matteo. "Did they hurt you?" he asked concerned while checking for injuries. 

"No" Matteo mumbled "my legs fell asleep." 

"Ah" Ezio smirked at him. "Then I shall have to rescue my damsel the traditional way." He moved to Matteo's side and picked him up bridal style. 

Matteo let his head rest on the man's broad chest, turning to hide his face away. "I'm not a damsel in distress" he replied when Ezio had already walked out the cell. 

"That's too bad, I believe the horse I stole was even white." 

Matteo could feel the chuckle beneath his cheek. "Yeah yeah." he mumbled as if disagreeing but found himself relaxing in the strong arms holding him anyway. He trusted this assassin and with the day catching up to him he felt darkness claim him again.

**Author's Note:**

> I just kept on thinking .... how are those haypiles always so fluffy?


End file.
